Sunday, May 15, 2011

Featured Designer: Clodagh

Clodagh is an Irish-born designer who has been living in New York for over 25 years. She has traveled to over 90 countries, designed "everything from makeup packaging to million square foot hotels", and written two books (Total Design and more recently Your Home, Your Sanctuary). Clodagh is known for having been a pioneer in the movement towards green design, having been known to use natural, nontoxic, and sustainable paints and materials, in addition to the techniques of Feng Shui, Chromotherapy, and Biophilia, even before that they were popular. Perhaps this is related to her belief that "good design can support well-being."

Clodagh's rooms have a feel that is natural and outdoorsy, yet homey. She uses touches like chairs inspired by pebbles, small plants, and lots of wood, and features natural colors like beige and brown in combination with touches of pastel colors like yellow, green, and blue. In addition to designing rooms (the Clodagh Design division), Clodagh has also designed products (the Clodagh Signature division) and has a "gallery and retail showroom" that features home furnishings and accessories from other artists and designers that Clodagh admires (the Clodagh Collection division).

Clodagh's vision statement is "To enhance life and spirit through timeless, responsible design... total design. Based on the 4C’s of design, total design aims to contemplate the space, cleanse it of unnecessary items while clarifying all goals, needs and desires thereby creating a space that is unique and timeless. Total design is about serenity and simplicity, open spaces and clean contemporary lines." She believes that"a space cannot be truly beautiful unless it functions in harmony with who we are... it's about pleasure: discovering what pleases us and creating an environment that will celebrate those qualities and sustain us."

You can see more photos of Clodagh's designs on her website (http://www.clodagh.com/), where you can also read more about her and look at her products.